


The Brotherhood

by iwritewhenimhappy



Series: Santa Monica, Baby [3]
Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Detectives, Case Fic, Character Death, F/F, F/M, Gen, Grief/Mourning, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mental Health Issues, Slow Build, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-20
Updated: 2019-08-20
Packaged: 2020-09-19 01:27:38
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,575
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20322829
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iwritewhenimhappy/pseuds/iwritewhenimhappy
Summary: Buck is getting closer to the truth of what happened to Detective Clark, now with Eddie's help, and the stakes have never been higher.





	1. One.

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted on tumblr.

“Hey, Buck, uh…” Chimney says a little awkwardly as he walks into the breakroom. “Someone’s here to see you.”

Buck looks from Chimney to the only other person in the room, Eddie who shrugs. They have been working on Abby’s case for almost two weeks together. In-between that time they’ve been assisting on other cases and catching up on paperwork. It’s been frustrating to say the least, there’s been leads that have come and gone, and dead ends, so many dead ends. Eddie isn’t as close to this as Buck is but he sees how much it’s hurting his partner and for that he wants it closed as soon as possible, for the truth to come out.

“Who?” Buck asks as he pours cream into his coffee, stirring it quickly before taking a sip.

Chimney chuckles a little awkwardly, his cheeks dusted red. “She said her name is Maddie?”

“Shit.” Buck whispers, putting his coffee up down quickly before half running out of the room. Chimney and Eddie share a look before they follow after him.

“Evan, there you are.” Maddie says with a smile as Buck walks up to her. She opens out her arms and they meet in a hug.

“Hey, Maddie.” Buck says as they pull away from each other. Without missing a beat she hits him in the arm. “Ow, what the hell?”

“That’s for not answering my calls for a week. ‘What the hell?’ Is right.”

“Maddie-”

“And who’s this?” She asks cutting him off as Eddie and Chimney watch the interaction from over Buck’s shoulder, her eyes now on them.

Buck looks toward the two before looking back to his sister and answering. “My partner Eddie and my colleague, Chimney. Guys this is my sister.”

They both smile as Chimney says, “It’s nice to meet you.”

“Come on, we can talk in the breakroom.” Buck says nodding to the two as he leads Maddie into the room.

-<>-

_“Abby, I’m not going out and getting you a coffee from across town when we have a perfectly good coffee machine in the breakroom.” Buck tells her from his seat at his desk. Abby whose own desk is facing his as all partner’s do gives him a pout._

_“You know that coffee, sucks.” She tells him. “Please?”_

_“I happen to love that coffee, Abby, besides-”_

_“Hey, we have a new case.” Bobby says as he pops his head out of his office door. “Who wants it?”_

_“We’ll take it!” Buck says excited to get out of this office. Bobby looks to him and Abby._

_“Great. It might be nothing though.” Bobby tells them._

_“What is it?” Abby asks._

_“An apparent overdose but the family is pretty certain that’s not the case. Go over there and see if there’s anything more. If not, tell the family as gently as you can.”_

_“We’re on it, Cap.” Buck says as he stands, grabbing his jacket and throwing it over his shoulders, Abby laughing at his antics. _

-<>-

“So? Why aren’t you answering my calls?” She says, her voice a little hurt.

“It’s only been a week, besides you ignored my calls for three years.” Buck doesn’t know where that came from. Maybe he’s still angry, not really at Maddie not entirely. He knows it wasn’t her fault, but it still hurts. They used to be so close when they were younger until Doug came into the picture that is.

Maddie’s eyes turn guilty. “I’m sorry about that. It’s not what I wanted.”

“I know, I’m sorry I shouldn’t have said that. Look, I’ve been on this case, it’s just been crazy.”

Maddie nods like she knew this answer was coming. “Okay, okay but at least call me or text me to tell me that. Your job is so dangerous and it worries me, Evan.”

“I’m alright, and I will, okay? I’ll call you or text you every night. You know who you remind me of?”

“Who?” Maddie asks curiously.

“Mom.” Buck says simply, but it’s in a joking manner and it does the trick he was hoping it would as Maddie’s lips upturn into a grin.

“Take that back!”

Buck laughs and she laughs too. Inside though he thinks, ‘you’re nothing like her, Mads.’

-<>-

_ When they get to the scene there’s only two cop cars and the medical examiner. Buck and Abby get strange looks as they show their badges and introduce themselves as detectives, but nonetheless the patrolmen let them through without much question. When they get in they find one Jacob McCullen sitting on his couch, head fallen back, and a needle in his arm. Abby and Buck look at each other. _

_“An overdose.” Buck says. “No doubt about that.”_

_“No, there isn’t.” The ME, Tyler says. “So I’m surprised to see you guys here.”_

_“The family said that they didn’t believe this was an overdose.” Abby explains._

_ Tyler rolls his eyes. “They never do.”_

_“Is there anything out of the ordinary?” Abby questions._

_“Nope. Heroin overdose, clean and simple.”_

_“Do us a favour and send us the autopsy report anyway. Do a full tox screen too.”_

_ Tyler rolls his eyes again but nods anyway._

_“Excuse me, detectives?” An Officer says, walking into the house._

_“Yes?” Abby asks politely. _

_“There’s a man outside that wants to talk to you.”_

_“Who is it?” Buck asks, looking from the body to the Officer, an older man, late forties._

_“He says he’s the victim’s father. He says his name is James McCullen.”_

-<>-

“Are you okay?” Eddie asks Buck who sits on a bench outside the precinct. If he was a smoker he would be smoking right now.

“Yeah, I just, I needed some air?” Buck says looking to Eddie who nods in understanding.

“Your sister seems nice.”

“She is, actually she’s great. She practically raised me, until she left.”

“Left?” Eddie asks curious, but without judgement.

“An asshole named Doug. He’s out of the picture now thankfully.” Buck explains. “I don’t know. I love her but I’m still so angry even though it’s not her fault. Not really.”

“I understand.”

“Do you?”

Eddie looks down, then up towards the sky. The sun peeks out behind the many clouds today causing him to squint. He doesn’t answer Buck but he doesn’t need to. Instead they sit there silently for many minutes, just enjoying the light breeze and each other’s comforting presences. When Eddie feels like Buck has got through whatever he’s going through he says, “That guy called me back. He wants to talk to us, off the record.”

“James McCullen?” Buck asks, looking up at him in surprise.

Eddie nods. “Yeah, I was surprised too.”


	2. Two.

_“Hello, sir, ma’am.” Abby says politely as she lifts her jacket away to reveal the badge on her belt. “I’m Detective Clark, and this is my partner Detective Buckley.” _

_ The older dark skinned man with piercing, angry eyes looks over Abby and then over to Buck. His wife holds onto his arm with what looks like a vice grip. Her eyes are beyond saddened and vacant. She’s a step behind her husband like she’s ready to flee if need be. She looks like she’d rather be anywhere than here._

_“Well it’s about damn time!” Mr. McCullen says in an angry and devastated voice._

_“I’m sorry it took us so long.” Abby says with genuine remorse. Buck looks over at her, her large orange waves bouncy across her features as she pulls out her notepad. She is so beautiful and honest. She always has this way of putting people at ease and making sure they know that they are being heard. She’s soft and tough all rolled into one, and Buck has never loved her more than in this moment. The love that he feels for her washes over him and brings him almost under. “Can you tell me what happened here?”_

_“Our son was murdered… That is what happened here!”_

_ Abby nods, and Buck asks, “Who would want to hurt your son?”_

_ The father shakes his head. “I don’t know. He was a good man. He never hurt anyone. He never used drugs. He wouldn’t do that to us.”_

_ Mr. McCullen wraps his arm around his wife and brings her close as tears start to rise in her eyes. She shakes her head and puts her hand to her mouth to hold back a sob._

_“I understand.” Abby tells them with a soft smile._

_“Did your son have any close friends? A girlfriend maybe?” Buck asks, his own notepad now open, ready to take down names._

_“Yes. He had many friends.” It’s Mrs. McCullen who speaks now. She’s more composed. “He always got along very well with others. Do you need names?”_

_“Yes, please, ma’am.”_

_She nods._

-<>-

“Hello, Mr. McCullen.” Buck says with a sad smile as he and Eddie stand in front of the McCullen residence. “It’s been a while.”

“Yes.” He agrees as he pushes up his glasses. They’re big and round, and they’re old. It matches his greying hair and it looks like he’s in his seventies now, not the early sixties Buck knows he’s in. It seems almost foreign this encounter. The last time Buck laid eyes on him it was almost a year ago, too little of time for him to age years, and yet it appears he has. “It has.”

“I don’t know if you remember me-”

“Detective Buckley.”

“Yeah.” Buck nods. “Um, this is my partner now, Detective Diaz. He’s helping me on your son’s case.”

Mr. McCullen nods to Eddie who nods back. “Come in.”

Buck smiles, and him and Eddie walk in.

-<>-

_ Abby’s hands are on the counter of the breakroom. They lay flat as her head lowers down so that her hair falls in cascades in front of her. It hides her features but Buck can tell by the tenseness in her shoulders that her face is sorrowful. He knows without having to ask that she’s thinking about her mom again. Buck hates how much pain she’s in and how much he can’t help her. All he can do in fact is be there for her in whatever way that she needs._

_ He looks around and seeing that their alone, approaches her. His hand lands on her back, gently. She turns and looks at him, her eyebrows drawn now. She’s even tenser at first but seeing that it’s Buck, she relaxes. “Buck.” She whispers._

_“Hey.” Buck says to her, his voice gentle. “You okay?”_

_“Yeah- No, not really.” She admits._

_“Abby…” _

_ Buck reaches out, his hand leaving her back and making its way to her cheek. He cups it softly and rubs his thumb along her jaw. Her eyes close briefly in the comforting gesture but it doesn’t long before the door to the breakroom bangs open. They move apart like they’ve been burned and Detective Kinard walks in. Either he didn’t see anything or he saw and chooses not to mention what he saw as he simply goes on with why he burst in._

_“Your autopsy report is back.” Kinard says, holding out the file. Abby takes it from him quickly and opens it up._

_“Well?” Buck asks. “What does it say?”_

_“There’s a sedative in his blood. The ME ruled it a homicidal death.”_

_“Seriously?”_

_“Yeah.”_

-<>-

“Thank you for agreeing to speak to us.” Buck says as he and Eddie sit down in a floral white couch. Mr. McCullen sits opposite of them on a brown cushion chair. He nods at Buck’s words but doesn’t offer anything else. “Where is Mrs. McCullen?”

Mr. McCullen looks up sharply, his eyes painful before he answers, “She died. A month ago.”

“I’m sorry.”

He waves his hand as if he were waving off Buck’s sympathy. “I asked you to come because there is no one anymore. Jacob died; a couple years before him it was his sister Mary, then my wife, Marlene. It’s just me now. I’m not afraid to die, son, not anymore.”

“Die?” Eddie can’t help but ask. Mr. McCullen nods.

“Was your life threatened, Mr. McCullen? Were you told that harm would come to you or your wife if you continued to cooperate with us?” Buck asks not unkindly, his whole body shifting forward, waiting for the answer, for any answer in this case.

“Yes, we were.”

“Who was it? Who threatened you, Mr. McCullen?”

“It was that no good Wayne Linger.”

Buck’s eyes widen.

-<>-

_“Thank you for coming in, Alana.” Buck tells the girl who nods, her hands trembling as she reaches for the water in front of her._

_“Are you alright?” Abby asks._

_ She nods, then admits, “I’m scared.”_

_“We can protect you.” Buck tells her, leaning forward slightly in his chair. They’re in Interview room two, a week after Jacob McCullen was found dead. They’ve talked to other friends but no one had anything to say other than it must have been an overdose._

_ Alana nods at Buck’s words. “I appreciate that but- I don’t think you can. I’m not the only one that thinks that. I’m guessing no one had anything to offer about Jacob, right?”_

_ She looks from Buck to Abby who nods, confirming her words. She smiles slightly, sarcastically. _

_“Everyone’s afraid.” She tells them. “But Jacob was a good guy. He did do drugs, but he got sober. He was clean for months, and he was doing really well. Better after I- I…”_

_“After you what?” Abby prompts._

_ Alana’s hand reaches down to her stomach, rubbing gently, and making it obvious as to why he was doing better lately._

_“I’m only two months along, but he was so excited when I told him.” She says as her eyes start to water. “Please just- get this guy.”_

_“Do you know who did this?” Buck asks, his pen running across his notepad._

_“I think so. There was this guy named Wayne who came to our place- well Jacob’s place- but I was moving in. And Wayne, he wanted something from Jacob. I don’t know what it was. I left before I could hear what it was. I felt scared of him and Jacob was telling me to go, so I went.”_

_“Do you know if Jacob did whatever this Wayne wanted him to do?” Abby questions._

_ Alana shakes her head no immediately. “He told me he didn’t, that he’d never do anything for him again.”_

_“Again?” Buck asks now._

_“Yeah, he was- Wayne was his dealer from way back when. He would do favours for him for the smack.”_

_“Does Wayne have a last name?”_

_ Alana nods. “Yeah, it’s- I think its Linger. Wayne Linger.”_


	3. Three.

“Fucking asshole.” Buck mutters under his breath as Eddie watches his face set in anger. His eyes move from his blazing eyes to the speed meter, and then to the road where they go flying passing by car by car. Eddie’s hand is curled around his waist where a parachute used to be, years earlier but it feels like yesterday right now. He was on a plane and they were dropped. That’s not happening now though, now he’s in a car with a man who’s on the verge of losing his mind in anger and frustration.

“If you don’t slow down you’re going to kill yourself, and me.” Eddie says.

“I don’t care.” Buck whispers, speeding up even more.

“I care. I have a kid, remember? He kind of needs me.”

Buck pauses, and then slows down the car. He doesn’t look at Eddie, but he does say, “Sorry.”

“I know that this is tough, but we’re going to figure it out and bring whoever did this to justice.”

“I know who did this.”

“Buck?” Eddie says, his voice more calm than ever. “Remember what you said to me? About keeping an open mind?”

Buck falters, but doesn’t say anything, and despite that Eddie knows that he heard him.

-<>-

_Ring. Ring. Ring._

_“Shit.” Buck whispers as the body beside him pulls up into a sitting position. Its Abby of course, they’re at her place in her larger than life bed which is very useful in other matters, but lately it’s just been great for sleep. This Jacob McCullen’s case has been a pain in the ass since day one. The dealer hasn’t been found which a thorn in their side in itself is, but that’s been their only lead. Every other one has burnt out quicker than a match._

_“Hello?” Abby says into the phone as Buck leans up beside her, his head leaning on her shoulder. He plants a small kiss on her bare neck, but she barely flinches. “Yes, this is Detective Clark. What? Yeah, yeah we’ll be there- I’ll call him and we’ll be there soon.”_

_ She hangs up and doesn’t move or say anything for a very long time. Buck continues to hug her close._

_“What’s wrong? Who was it?” Buck asks._

_ Abby sighs. “Officer Nix, from the fourth division.”_

_“Who?”_

_“Um, that guy I told you about, with the red hat?”_

_“Oh, shit, yeah? Him? How is he?” Buck asks, now rubbing the sleep out of his eyes._

_ Abby rolls her eyes as she leans over and flips the lamp switch on. “It wasn’t a social call. Alana Dickson is dead.”_

_ Buck freezes. “What?”_

_“Yeah and guess how?”_

_“No way.”_

_ Abby nods gravely as she gets out of bed and starts searching for her pants. “Yeah, an overdose.”_

_“Son of a-”_

-<>-

“Wayne Linger.” Buck says in a loud, angry voice. Eddie is beside him as they walk through the scrapyard and up to the tall buff man. His head is shaved bald and he has ink all over. His mouth is turned into a scowl, then a smirk as his eyes lock onto Buck’s.

“Detective.” He says with that smirk. “It’s been a while.”

“Not long enough it seems. So, Wayne, tell me, why have you been harassing the McCullen’s?”

He doesn’t look surprised by the accusation, in fact he looks down right pleased. He shrugs and says, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Buck nods, his face turning into anger. He told Eddie that he would take it easy and keep an open mind, but when he looks into the face of this piece of shit all he can see is the blood flowing into her orange hair. Her eyes closed and her mouth whimpering, trying to say something before it stops moving. Before _she_ stops moving and fades away.

“You don’t know.” Buck says before walking up to him and grabbing the collar of the grey shirt he wears. He pushes him up against a fence as Eddie runs after him. “You don’t know, huh? A cop is dead and you don’t know anything.”

Eddie’s hands come up to Buck, pulling and pushing him off, but Buck turns and glares at him. It’s a warning that Eddie takes seriously. He backs off and watches the two of them warily.

“This is what’s going to happen.” Buck says, his breath in the other’s face. “You’re going to tell me something useful or I am going to do everything in my power to put you away. I’ll perjure myself if I have to, and you know a statement from a detective with a spotless record is not nothing. And you may be thinking to yourself, after all these months, they won’t believe him. But you know what? It’s amazing what the word trauma can do. I’ll testify that it was you and I’ll watch you go down like the dog you are.”

The guy looks worried, but not overly so as he answers with, “You want the real killer more than you want me.”

“Don’t be so sure. I know you’ve got enemies in prison. Are you sure you want to risk going back? No judge in their right mind will grant you bail, and trials ooh, trials, they’re long. I’d think real careful before you say your next words.” Buck says, his own smirk lighting up his eyes.

“Fine. I’ll give you something, but all I can give you is a crumb. If I do more I’m a dead man.”

“What is this crumb?”

“It’s not me you want. It’s the supplier. I’m just a tool, we all are.” Wayne says, a little bitter about that fact.

“Alright, I’m listening.” Buck says with a nod, loosening his grip slightly. “But I need a name.”

“No, no way, man.”

“Then give me an address of someone who can. Before you get smart though, like last time, I’m going to have a cop on you 24/7. If anything goes wrong, or if what happens last time happens this time, I’ll be back. Alone.”

The implication of what Buck is saying washes over Eddie who stands by, scared, not for himself but for Buck. For his partner. He doesn’t want to see him go down a road that he’ll regret. He really doesn’t.

-<>-

_“I hate that fucking guy.” Buck says as they walk over to Abby’s car. They both get in, Abby behind the wheel and Buck in the passenger’s seat._

_“Me too.” Abby says with a half-smile. “But he gave us a lead.”_

_“I guess.”_

_“Relax, Evan, we’ll take back up this time.”_

_ Buck rolls his eyes as Abby leans in and kisses him sweetly. When they pull away they both have large smiles on their faces._

_“I could have handled that though.” Abby tells him, her fingers dancing on his shoulder._

_“Yeah, I know, but it was more fun for me to do it.” Buck replies which makes Abby laugh._

_“It seemed more like you were defending my honour than getting his information.”_

_ Buck shrugs. “Maybe I was.”_

_ Abby shakes her head as she pulls away and puts her seatbelt on. Buck pulls out his phone and starts texting back the Captain who’s asking for an update. As he does so, his eyes are trained on the screen, and Abby, without him looking blinks almost lost somewhere. The face of Alana comes to mind suddenly, causing her to move her hand onto her belly. She rubs slightly, in a circular motion and frowns, not a sad frown, but an unsure one._

_ She’ll have to tell him soon, she thinks, _ _but not yet. She’s not ready yet._

_“Are you ready?” Buck asks, snapping her out of her thoughts._

_ She looks up to him, her hand off of her stomach now and says, “Yeah, let’s go.”_


	4. Four.

“Dammit, Maddie.” Buck says in irritation as he checks his phone. Eddie who’s driving this time after insisting on it, looks over at him.

“What’s wrong?” Eddie asks him before looking back to the road.

“Turn around, Diaz.”

“What?”

“Hurry up!” Buck yells angrily. “She texted me 9-1-1!”

“What, Mierda!” Eddie yells as Buck reaches over and very dangerously puts his hand on his thigh. It’s a little too close to the South but regardless Buck pushes down, trying to make him go faster. “What is wrong with you!?”

Eddie shakes Buck off easily and does make the turn around, slowly and carefully considering what part of LA they are in. He then turns to Buck to glare as Buck ignores him. All of his attention is on his phone as he types aggressively. Eddie wants to yell at him again, but then he remembers his own sisters and how one summer they lost track of Liz for over three hours. It was the worst three hours of his life. The whole time he felt like someone had punched a hole in his chest.

Instead of yelling, Eddie simply asks, “What’s her address?”

-<>-

“Oh, thank God!” Maddie exclaims as she walks into her living room after hearing the door open. As always there’s tingle of fear whenever someone opens that door, but she knows it’s Buck as soon as he yells out her name. He does have a spare key after all, which is both a blessing and an extra stressful anxiety.

“Maddie? Are you okay!? What’s going on?” Buck exclaims loudly, his gun out of its holster and held pointing to the ground. His finger isn’t on the trigger and Maddie’s pretty sure the safety is on but it’s still an alarming sight.

“Evan, what’s going on?”

“Are you okay?” Buck reiterates, ignoring her question.

“I’m fine! Why do you have your gun out!?” She questions in alarm. “God, put it away.”

Buck looks around the room one last time before doing just that. As it disappears another man walks into her apartment from the open door. It’s another man, one Maddie recognizes from the time she went to visit Buck at his precinct. It’s his partner, Eddie Diaz. Unlike Buck he doesn’t have his gun out but he does look a little panicked and worried.

“Maddie, you texted me 9-1-1.” Buck tells her, his hands in the air.

“Well, yeah, but it’s not- I have a date, okay? And I’m freaking out.”

Buck closes his eyes, his hand coming up to his face, literally face palming as Eddie laughs behind him. Eddie tries to hide it or push it down but neither works, making Buck turn around to glare at him. It’s not very effective as Buck’s cheeks are red in embarrassment.

“I’ll wait in the car.” Eddie says in-between chuckles.

Buck simply glares at him and says, “You do that.”

-<>-

“I’m sorry.” Buck says as soon as Eddie has left. Maddie goes and locks the door behind Eddie before walking back into her bedroom. Buck follows her and finds clothes literally everywhere. There’s two outfits on her bed and her closet is wide open, its contents mostly emptied on the floor and bed.

“No, it’s my fault, I shouldn’t have texted you that.” Maddie says with a shake of her head before sitting down on her bed. “I didn’t realize you were still working.”

“I’ve been working overtime.” Buck says as he sits down near by her. “What’s going on?”

Maddie’s eyes turn sad, sudden and unexpected tears start to form. “I thought I could this.”

“Do what?”

“Go on a date. Be normal.”

“Is this about Doug?” Buck can’t help but ask, just saying his name out loud makes him feel sick with anger.

Maddie nods as her eyes turn briefly onto his. “Maybe he was right, Evan, maybe no one else can put up with me. I mean look at me, I’m a mess, and it’s only one date. The first date.”

“Hey.” Buck says abruptly, his hands coming up to her shoulders. “That asshole was right about nothing. If you’re not ready, you’re not ready. If you don’t want to go, you don’t have to go.”

“But I do. I want to go and I want to meet a great guy but what if- what if it turns out like Doug. What if I get into a hole like that again? I don’t know if I can pull myself out another time.”

“Listen to me Maddie, that’s not going to happen. You have me now and I am not kid anymore. I won’t let that happen, and you’re strong. You got away from Doug.”

“I know, and this new guy seems great, he really does.”

“Can I ask who it is? Have I met him?” Buck says it sort of jokingly, but Maddie’s eyes turn downward, a little guiltily. “Wait, do I know him?”

“Yeah, it’s- it’s Chimney, Buck”

-<>-

“I’m going to kill him.” Buck says as he gets into the passenger seat. Eddie still is refusing to let him drive, especially after the information he was just given.

“I’m sure he was going to tell you.” Eddie tries to reassure as he pulls out of Maddie’s apartment complex parking and makes his way back to their witness’s house. “Or maybe he thought Maddie told you.”

Buck scoffs.

Neither one of them says anything more as they drive to this person’s house, but Eddie does glance nervously over to his partner every now and again. He’s been a little off more than usual. He understands the grief, pain, and anger, he really does but there’s something else. Something bigger and it worries Eddie. It scares him, not for the typical fear one feels for their own security, but for Buck’s. This type of job requires a level head, if you don’t have that then you’re putting everyone’s lives in jeopardy.

“We’re here.” Eddie says forty minutes later when they pull up to a light blue house. The neighborhood is quiet as they get out of the car, and it leaves a queer feeling in both of their bones. “Who do you think lives here?”

“No idea.” Buck says, a curious look on his face as they walk up to the door. Eddie knocks twice, and it takes a few minutes but finally someone answers the door, and it’s not who they expect.

“Hello, dear, what can I do for you?” It’s an old woman, at least eighties, maybe nineties. She has white hair, like snow, and wears a faded grey dress that comes down past her feet. She smiles at them both and Buck feels more than a little surprised. Did Wayne set him up again?

-<>-

_“Nothing! Absolutely nothing!” Abby says with her hands held up. They’re currently outside the address Wayne gave them, an abandoned warehouse where their techs went over it in a fine tooth comb, and yet, nothing._

_“I know. I know.” Buck says angrily. “But, baby, you need to calm down.”_

_ Buck says the endearment carefully as he looks around, making sure no one’s near enough to hear._

_“Excuse me if I am angry. How dare I express emotion? This case is pissing me off.”_

_“You’re not the only one.”_

_“Alana, didn’t deserve this.” Abby says, her hand itching to touch her belly again._

_“Neither did Jacob.” Buck says with a shrug. “But we’ll keep working this. We’ll get a break soon, we’ll have to.”_

-<>-

“I don’t know, something’s not right.” Buck tells Eddie as they get back into the car, this time Eddie allows Buck to get back behind the wheel.

“We can call for back up?” Eddie questions.

“If we do that, the leak could clear the supplier out before we got there. He could be on a ship to Mexico or Cuba or wherever.”

Eddie nods, understandingly. “So we go in there alone? Is that safe?”

“Maybe I should just go.” Buck says, almost quietly.

“What? No, no way, brother, we’re partners.” Eddie tells him. “If you’re doing this, we’re doing this.”

Buck looks at him and sees a stubbornness that pisses him off a little, but also makes a surge of affection for him come flooding out.

“Okay. Let’s do this.”

-<>-

_“There’s a call for you, Abby!” Chimney says from his desk, calling over to Abby who’s going over the autopsy of Alana once again. She looks up and smiles at Chimney._

_“Thanks, I’ll get it. Line two?” She says._

_“Line two.” Chimney agrees._

_“Hello?” She says into the phone as Buck looks up, mildly curious._

_ A pause._

_“Yes, I’m the lead on the Jacob McCullen case.”_

_ Buck drops his pen, his full attention now on Abby and her conversation._

_“You do? Okay, okay, slow down. What’s the address?”_

_ A pause._

_“Okay, uh huh, okay. Thank you. Can I ask your-” She stops talking abruptly, pulling the phone away and hanging up quickly._

_“Who was it?” Buck asks from his desk._

_“Our break.” Abby says with a happy smile. “Come on.”_

_“Where are we going?”_

_“To get this bastard.”_

_ And Buck can’t argue with that, but maybe he should have._

_Maybe he should have done a lot of things. _


	5. Five.

_“So that’s what happen.” Buck finishes explaining, his hands are burning from the coffee now and Eddie has drunk most of his._

_“I’m so sorry, Evan.” Eddie says and Buck smiles slightly at him using his first name._

_“Seriously, Buck is fine.”_

_“Okay, Buck, I’m sorry.”_

_ Buck nods and takes a sip of his coffee._

_“Wait, how do you know that there is a leak?” Eddie questions, confused._

_ Buck sighs. “We traced the call to the building. In the precinct in fact, but it could have been any one of our phones.”_

_“Security footage?”_

_“Gone.”_

_“Just gone?” Eddie asks, concerned._

_“Yeah, I know which kind of cements the fact that we have a mole.” Buck says, truly upset by this fact. “It could be anyone.”_

-<>-

“Are you sure that you want to do this?” Eddie asks carefully as they pull up to the address they were given.

“I am.” Buck says with a steel voice that wavers just slightly as he thinks of Abby. He thinks of her orange hair and her piercing eyes. He thinks of her kind laugh and her even kinder smile. He thinks about how she wanted to adopt as many animals as possible but never could because of her job. How she took care of her mom no matter what anyone said, and they had a lot to say. She took care of her despite it all, just the way Eddie takes care of his son, Christopher he learned his name was. Just like Eddie takes care of Christopher. So when Eddie asks him if he’s sure, he can’t help but counter with, “Are you?”

Eddie looks at him, almost sadly and says, “You’re my partner.” Which says it all really.

Buck parks the car and they get out.

-<>-

It’s a warehouse. A different one from what Abby and he found, but very similar in the fact that it’s big, abandoned, and scary as hell. The sun is still shining in the summer sky, but it is fading ever so slightly. It will be night soon and neither Buck nor Eddie wants to be searching a place like this when that happens.

“Are you ready?” Eddie asks in a quiet whisper. Buck nods in reply and they reach for their weapons. The outside of the warehouse is fairly quiet and completely empty. In fact they’re in a part of the city that’s completely abandoned which makes this no easier. Despite that they walk on and make their way to the slightly open door, weapons drawn out and safety switched off.

Buck walks in first. He points his gun out all over until it stops and lands facing a man he knows. Eddie’s right behind him and as soon as he sees that familiar face, he pauses too. Buck is more shocked out of the two, having known this man, worked with him even for a couple of years, almost three in fact. Eddie who only met him a couple of months ago is surprised but not overly so. He’s always been good at reading people and he’s always been a little off, him and Kinard both.

“So it was you, Deluca, who did this? Who made that call and led us out there?” Buck asks as Deluca aims his own weapon at them both. It’s not the standard gun they carry, and it’s then that Buck knows why that is. He’s here to kill them, loose threads and all that.

“Put your weapons down.” Deluca says in an eerily calm voice.

“Not a chance.” Buck says back. “Two against one. You drop yours.”

“I can’t do that, buckaroo.”

“Don’t. You don’t get to call me that. Not after you KILLED ABBY!”

Eddie looks nervously from Buck to Deluca.

“I didn’t want her to die.” Deluca says honestly, maybe even a little painfully. “She was a good, honest cop but she got in the way. You both did. You should left Jacob McCullen alone. Signed off on it being an overdose. Instead you dug and dug. Only thing is, you were digging your girl’s grave. Now I have to kill the both of you. I’m guessing you didn’t tell anyone about this? Afraid of the leak? Maybe it’s time the whole department knows who that leak is, one Evan Buckley. It makes sense after all, doesn’t it?”

“You son of a bitch!”

The next few moments happen quickly. Three shots ring out in quick succession. First Buck fires twice into Deluca, and then Deluca fires once before he goes down. Buck watches satisfied as he falls to the ground dead, but then he hears a whisper, a gasp, a- “Buck?”

Buck looks over and sees the red before he sees anything else. It blooms awfully into Eddie’s shirt as he falls back. His body hits the concrete ground in a thud. Buck tries to reach him, to grab him but he doesn’t make it in time. Eddie is on the ground when he gets there, but he’s quick to pick his head up, his upper body and lean it against him. Eddie’s head rolls painfully into Buck’s lap as Buck reaches for his phone.

“Bu- B…” Eddie tries to say, his eyes closing and opening slowly, fighting to remain conscious.

“Shh, don’t try to talk.” Buck tells him as he dials for the operator. “Hello? Yes, this is Detective Buckley at Wayside Dr. 7653 Industrial. I have an officer down and a suspect dead. Please send an ambulance. Hurry!”

Buck throws the phone down and brings his other hand up to the wound in Eddie’s chest. He pushes down, trying to stop the bleeding as best as he can. Eddie grimaces in pain and Buck almost laughs. He can still feel this, that’s a good sign.

“Hang in there, Eddie, the ambulance is coming.” Buck tells him.

“Bu- Buck.” Eddie gasps in obvious pain. “I- I…”

The words fall just as Eddie’s head falls to the side. His eyes close and Buck almost drops him. He leans down and puts his ear to Eddie’s lips. “Come on. Come on.”

He’s not breathing.

“Shit. Shit!”

Buck very carefully puts Eddie’s body down and starts CPR.

“Come on, Eddie, come on! Breathe dammit! BREATHE!”

_ Abby. Her eyes, her hair, her smell, and her smile._

Eddie. His eyes, his hair, his smell, and his smile.

“Come on, Baby, come on, just breathe for me. BREATHE DAMMIT!”

And Buck’s not sure when it starts, but suddenly he’s crying as he tries to desperately pump life back into Eddie. He leans down and puts trembling lips to Eddie’s as he now tries desperately to breathe life into him. He’s then back to pumping on his chest as those big cascades of tears fall down his cheeks. He can’t lost him.

_He can’t lose her._

Not again.

“EDDIE!”

-<>-

_“Hello.” A smooth voice says. It’s like honey in tea, but it’s not really there. It’s real and it’s not all in one. It makes Eddie gasp in a breath as he looks up. His hands come up to his chest, patting up and down to where agony was just moments ago, but there’s no more pain now. There’s nothing in fact. It’s gone._

_ Eddie looks up sharply and locks eyes with piercing white ones. He immediately looks away as a feeling of pure energy washes over him. There’s taint to it though, of something else, and it makes him feel so very small. Whatever this is, whoever this is- She’s bigger than him in every sense of the word, but mostly in that sixth sense that everyone has but ignores; in the Spiritual. Despite this and his confusion, he can’t help but ask a burning question._

_“Who are you?”_

_“My name,” She says slowly and carefully as her bare feet, more delicate and more inhuman than his walk closer- float closer to him in an aura of light, “is Anna.”_


End file.
